17 Health Benefits of Cayenne Pepper

Many societies, especially those of the Americas and China, have a history of using cayenne pepper therapeutically. A powerful compound with many uses, cayenne pepper is currently gaining buzz for cleansing and detoxifying regimes such as the Master Cleanse, which uses the spice to stimulate circulation and neutralize acidity.

Cayenne pepper has been used for a variety of ailments including indigestion, confusion, tremors, gout, fever, flatulence, sore throat, hemorrhoids, menorrhagia in women, nausea, tonsillitis, scarlet fever, and diphtheria.[1, 2] Let’s take a look at some of the best health benefits cayenne pepper has to offer.

The Health Benefits of Cayenne Pepper

1. Anti-Irritant Properties

Irritation can happen in the body for any number of reasons — diet, illness, and environmental toxins just to list a few. Ironically, cayenne can help "put out the fire" and ease an upset stomach, sore throats, coughs, and occasional diarrhea.[3]

2. Clears Congestion

Suffering from stuffed up sinuses due to seasonal illness or allergies? Cayenne pepper aids in breaking up and moving congested mucus.[4]

3. Resists Harmful Organisms

When it comes to defense against harmful organisms, cayenne is a proverbial surgical flame thrower. In vitro tests have found that CAY-1, a compound found in cayenne peppers, effectively suppressed the development of 16 different fungal strains, while remaining completely non-toxic to animal cells.[5]

4. Headache Remedy

This may be related to the pepper’s ability to stimulate a pain response in a different area of the body, thus diverting the brain’s attention to the new site. Following this initial pain reaction, the nerve fibers have a depleted substance P (the nerve’s pain chemical), and the perception of pain is lessened.[6]

5. Digestive Aid

Cayenne is a well-known digestive aid. It stimulates the digestive tract, increasing the flow of enzyme production and gastric juices. This aids the body’s ability to metabolize food (and toxins). Cayenne pepper is also helpful for relieving intestinal gas. It stimulates intestinal peristaltic motion, aiding in both assimilation and elimination.[7]

6. Anti-Redness Properties

Many health ailments result in swelling and redness throughout the body. Cayenne’s ability to soothe systemic cellular distress make it a great herb for many occasional conditions.[3]

7. Helps Produce Saliva

Cayenne stimulates the production of saliva, an important component of digestion and maintaining optimal oral health.[8]

8. Promotes Cardiovascular Health

Cayenne pepper helps reduce atherosclerosis, encourages fibrinolytic activity, and prevents factors that lead to the formation of blood clots, all of which can help reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke.[6]

9. Detox Support

Cayenne is a known circulatory stimulant. It increases the pulse of our lymphatic and digestive rhythms. By heating the body, the natural process of detoxification is streamlined. Cayenne also induces sweating — another important process of detoxification. Combined with lemon juice and honey, cayenne tea is an excellent morning beverage for total body detox.[2]

10. Soothes Occasional Joint Discomfort

Extremely high in a substance called capsaicin, cayenne pepper sends chemical messengers from the skin into the joint, offering relief for occasional joint discomfort.[9] For this reason, many people with stiff, sore joints use creams and lotion that contain cayenne.

11. Helps Preserve Food

Cayenne is an excellent preservative and has been used traditionally to prevent food contamination from bacteria.[10, 11]

12. Promotes Longevity

A study using data collected from almost half a million people found that those who ate spicy foods had a 14% chance of living longer than those that didn’t. Researchers also found that regular consumption of chili peppers aligned with reduced rates of death from respiratory disease, heart problems, cancer.[12, 13]

13. Encourages Healthy Body Weight

Scientists at Laval University in Quebec found that participants who took cayenne pepper for breakfast were found to have less appetite, leading to less caloric intake throughout the day. Cayenne is also a great metabolic booster and aids the body in burning excess fat.[9]

†Results may vary. Information and statements made are for education purposes and are not intended to replace the advice of your doctor. Global Healing Center does not dispense medical advice, prescribe, or diagnose illness. The views and nutritional advice expressed by Global Healing Center are not intended to be a substitute for conventional medical service. If you have a severe medical condition or health concern, see your physician.

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Information and statements made are for education purposes and are not intended to replace the advice of your treating doctor. Global Healing Center does not dispense medical advice, prescribe, or diagnose illness. The views and nutritional advice expressed by Global Healing Center are not intended to be a substitute for conventional medical service. If you have a severe medical condition or health concern, see your physician. This Web site contains links to Web sites operated by other parties. Such links are provided for your convenience and reference only. We are not responsible for the content or products of any linked site or any link contained in a linked site. Global Healing Center does not adopt any medical claims which may have been made in 3rd party references. Where Global Healing Center has control over the posting or other communications of such claims to the public, Global Healing Center will make its best effort to remove such claims.